The Skelmersdale Community Alcohol Partnership (CAP) launched on 11th November and will be providing a range of information in the area during Alcohol Awareness Week 2020 (16-22 November).

CAPs are made up of partnerships between local authorities, police, schools, retailers, neighbourhood groups and health providers, working together to tackle alcohol-related harm to young people and improve the quality of life for residents.

The new CAP will work closely with local schools to take a proactive approach to alcohol education, to ensure that young people are equipped to make the right decisions about issues including drugs, anti-social and criminal behaviour.

It will also work with local retailers to help them avoid making underage sales and reduce ‘proxy’ sales where adults buy alcohol for under-18s. The CAP has already begun promoting with retailers its free Challenge 25 training and vulnerability training, if you have a business that would like to advantage of the free online training go to https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/lancan/check-25/.

CAP Director Kate Winstanley says: “I am delighted to see the launch of a CAP in Skelmersdale. Underage drinking is associated with school and educational problems, unprotected sex, drug-taking, violence and drinking problems in later life. In just over a decade CAP has set up 211 projects in some of the UK’s heaviest drinking areas and our evaluations show they have a significant impact on reducing children’s alcohol consumption and protecting them from alcohol harm.”